Super good Sunday!

HI family,                                                      August 10, 2014
Well this past week was good. It was nice and long and full of miracles, and to be honest at this moment I can't remember most of this week right now. But it was good and we had a bunch of miracles happen on Sunday which is where I will start. But first the BACK STORY!!!!!!!! (said in Doofenshmirtz voice haha). 

So we didn't go get anyone for church like we usually do because it has been a little bit of a sonap (or waste) because no one we go to pick up comes to church. So we just head to church and pray for people to come.  We get to church and nobody from Nantaku there so we are a little disappointed. But we understand it is because it's a long walk. Then as church goes on KK arrives, she is the less-active lady that we have been trying to reactivate, and NONO! An investigator that lives next door to KK. We were a little surprised but happy. Then just after KK and Nono arrive some other members walk in with another investigator named Patrik! We hadn't been able to see Patrik all week because school started and he has been busy.  We had asked Jovanah (one of the coolest members in Nantaku, who is about 18 and knows perfect English and somehow knows how to teach the Gospel really well) if she had to go up and get Patrik and she said he just came down (because he lives up above Jovanah) all ready to go to church and Patrik said "when does church start?" and just ended up walking with Jovanah and her family. Haha Super awesome! Then sacrament meeting ends and Elder Simpson and I are teaching the youth class this week and as the youth class is starting ANOTHER investigator shows up with her cousin! She is super strong in the church. Haha. It was a super good Sunday so far, then ANOTHER miracle! An older lady we just saw the day before and invited to come to church, she CAME! She was way late and church was over, but she came and that is what counts. She was super sad that church was over but she said she would try really hard to come next week and try the church out. It was a super good end of the week.

So this week is transfers and I am pretty sure I am staying in Nantaku, but I will write a snail mail for it and let you guys know what happens.  otherwise you wont know till next Monday mwahahahahaha!

Ai tong ngenikemi!

Love,
Elder Jeff Payne

Dear Dad,
So it is good to hear that the SD card with photos made it to you guys. I worry about it a lot when I send them. The kids with machetes? we were probably up on the mountain cutting grass... "with machetes!" you say? Yes, that is how we cut grass because there are no lawn mowers in Chuuk for some reason. And mom has missed 2 weeks of emailing me and for some reason mail has been kind of slow recently. Speaking of mail I have sent a box to ami (y'all). You will have to wait to get it to know what is in it mwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

Well love you all.
Love,
Elder Jeff Payne

The Elders at the lighthouse (?)

Snail Mail letter from mid July

Dear Family                                                                              July 19, 2014

I have had a super good week this past week.  So Monday was P-day of course and nothing happened except for e-mailing and even then I didn't get a single e-mail from you guys! What the heck?! What happened?  (we don't know what happened - we know that we have sent letters REGULARLY - both digital and analog versions)

Tuesday we were on exchanges and one of the Elders in Sapuk came to Nantaku with me.  His name is Elder Ladore and is is from Pohnpei and doesn't know very good English but he speaks super good Chuukese.  Chuukese and Pohnpein are really similar.  It was a fun day, then we got one more day together because the District Leaders decided to go one more day.  Then we all switched back on Wednesday night at District Meeting.  It was cool to talk with Elder Ladore he is a super good guy.

Thursday we did missionary work... to be honest I don't remember what happened Thursday or Friday, my bad.  But I can remember some cool things that happened last night.  We were walking home after a super busy day and we are passing the hospital.  Both Elder Simpson and I get the feeling we needed to visit a member who was in the hospital with her baby.  So we go up and talk to her a little bit and give her baby a blessing. As we turn around to leave and there is another member there in the same room with her kid!!  She is a super strong member from Sapuk Branch and she is crying.  She then tells us that she asked the Sapuk Branch President  to send someone to give her son a blessing.  Nobody ever came and she was praying that somebody would come.  Then we show up and are able to give her son a blessing.  We just got back from visiting her again tonight and her son is doing super well.  Tonight he was smiling and laughing and looked a ton better.  It was a huge miracle that has really strengthened my testimony of the Priesthood and always striving to use it to bless the lives of others.  It is real! and the power of it coupled with the Holy Ghost is super gechekun!  Of these things I know and say in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Al tong nyeni Kemi micnisin!  or "I love towards y'all" is the direct translation of that.  Ha ha. But I do love you all and pray for everyone back home and wish the best for you all.

Love, Elder Jeff Payne

Along with this letter he send an SD card with some new photos.  I'll attach a few to each blog entry in the coming weeks.

Elder Payne and one of the Primary Children.

Another one of Elder Payne.

Elder Payne and children - possibly hunting for something.

Elder Simpson

That's child with a machete!  And they are still hunting...

Anybody need a new desktop background??  Awesome sunset in Chuuk.